


Don't take it personally

by Idontknow1311



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Farah being emotionally constipated, Gen, M/M, One Shot, Slash if you squint, Todd being caught in between, post season two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 16:17:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13551012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idontknow1311/pseuds/Idontknow1311
Summary: A small one-shot. Todd is hanging out at the office when Dirk announces their next case. Farah is in a mood.





	Don't take it personally

Todd turned the page of his magazine, leaning further back on his swivel chair. He frowned at the article on the next page. It was yet another feature about whether the music industry would collapse due to the downloading trends. He rolled his eyes, flicking quickly to the next page to pour over an educational piece on tuning guitars. 

“Todd!” 

He looked up over the top of the page, his eyebrow raising at figure of Dirk who had swept into the room with a grin. He looked windswept and excited, as if he had ran to find them. Todd had no doubts in his mind that the man literally had. 

Farah looked up, her eyebrow also raised. She had taken advantage of the perfect weather to snooze on the couch. They had installed an incredibly comfortable couch underneath a window. It was positioned perfectly so that it enjoyed the fresh breeze but didn’t get the sun.

Not that she was a barrel of laughs but he had noticed her sour mood from the moment she had arrived. They had probably said less than 10 words to each other all day, although it didn’t feel like it was aimed at him. 

“And Farah!” Said Dirk, his face full of excitement. “Look at this.” 

He slammed down a paper on Todd’s desk and pointed at a small article in the corner. Todd swung his feet off the desk and sat up, peering at the article. The headline read Local Man Goes Missing.

“So?” Said Todd as he tried to scan the article quickly. “What’s so special about it?”

“This is the next case. I can feel it.” 

He leaned back, looking at Dirk sceptically. He had been trying to keep an open mind but he was still struggling to figure out the man. Just when he thought he had him pegged, he would throw a curve ball and change the game. It also didn’t help that the last few ‘cases’ hadn’t turned into anything at all. Not that Todd didn’t believe him but he wasn’t quite as quick to jump on cue anymore. 

“I’m not sure I see what’s so special about this,” said Todd. “I mean, compared to the other articles, this one is kind of… boring?”

“But don't you feel it?” Replied Dirk, his eyes wide and filled with excitement. “There’s something special about this one. I knew it the minute I read the article.” He paced around the office, his face thoughtful, “We should leave immediately. You can drive Todd. We’ll get there tonight and then tomorrow we can start to look around.” 

Todd stood up, his own blood starting to race at the thought of another case. He flicked his eyes across to Farah who was staring up at the ceiling defiantly. He felt something brewing with her. It was the calm before the storm. 

“I’m not going to this one.” She said, her mouth a thin line and her expression firm. With her black leather boots and her severe expression, she looked as immovable as a concrete wall. 

“Farah!” Said Dirk, his expression one of disbelief, “You HAVE to come! This is the real deal. The big cahona. The case we’ve been waiting for. How could you possibly want to miss out on that?”

“Dirk.” She said, her voice reminding Todd of large steel doors closing. “I am not going.”

She got up, her leather books making a slamming sound as she pulled herself to her feet smoothly. She crossed her arms over her chest, gave Dirk a look at seemed to radiate anger and then headed out of the room. Todd watched the exchange from his desk, his eyes trained on Farah until she had left the room completely. 

Dirk watched her go, his face a mixture of confusion. When she had completely exited, Dirk swiveled to Todd, his face stuck in its expression. 

“What… just happened?” Said Dirk. 

Todd shrugged, trying to morph his face into an apologetic expression. 

“Did I say something offensive?”

“Look, Dirk… don’t take it personally. She’s been in a bad mood all day.” 

He nodded, although his expression seemed to only deepen as his mind caught up with him. Todd nearly groaned, cursing Farah and her mood swings. He could see that Dirk was taking it hard, as he expected. 

Dirk’s posture changed, as if his mind had come to some sort of a conclusion. 

“Todd?”

“Yes,” Todd replied, hesitantly. 

“Am I… annoying?”

He groaned, seriously wanting to punch Farah. “Really, Dirk, you shouldn’t take it personally. Farah isn’t great at expressing herself.”

Dirk went to the couch and sat on it, his face now expressionless but his eyes betraying the speed of his thoughts. Todd hated that Farah had forced him to but he knew that he’d have to swoop into friend mode. Before he had really understood Dirk and realised that he wasn’t full of shit, the idea would have made him instantly irritated. But he had realised a long time ago that Dirk didn’t have the childhood he did. He didn’t get everything. He hadn’t had the chance to. He had never had a deep and meaningful with his mum. He’d never had a sister who called him out on his bullshit and showed him the often terrifying world of women. So it fell to Todd to break down the world around him into manageable portions. 

He moved over to the couch, taking a seat beside him. He saw Dirk’s eyes move towards him quickly, as if the man had involuntarily looked over and then checked himself at the last moment. There was a heaviness in the air between them. A thick atmosphere that came from unspoken words on both sides. 

He knew that he should tell the truth and just get it over with. He’d rather have an upset Farah than an upset Dirk. 

“I really shouldn’t tell you this,” said Todd. Dirk looked at him with concern, his expression unwavering as he waited for the next word. “And Farah swore me to secrecy. I don’t know why, honestly. It isn’t like anyone would judge her because of it. But you know how she can be about her personal life. She can get a bit weird about giving away too many things. Anyways, today’s the anniversary of her father’s death.”

“Oh,” said Dirk. 

His face genuinely seemed surprised and his eyebrows shot up his forehead at the news. Todd hated that he felt some relief at the change in his expression. Dirk had become important to him. In some ways, too important. He had lost his bastard edge and his ability to move throughout life as a silo. It was because of him that he re-engaged as a person and found the reason for continuing what was previously a pitiful excuse for a life. He had never shared it with anyone before but he had gone through some dark times in the past. Times were he wondered what the hell the point of it all was? Since meeting Dirk, the feeling of hopelessness had faded. He had found a reason to get up in the morning. Until the universe was fixed, he was going to have to stick around. Besides, he couldn’t stand the idea of Dirk being alone. Not with Blackwing constantly looming on the horizon. 

“Don’t say anything about it to her. Like I said though… don’t take it personally. It really isn’t about you.”

“I hope this doesn’t come off sounding crass but … I didn’t think she was all that fond of her father.” 

“She wasn’t… I mean. It’s probably really complicated. It’s probably what Amanda feels towards me. She hates me because I’m a prick but she also loves me because I’m her brother. I think sometimes she’s angry because I’m not the person she hoped I was.”

Dirk shook his head, “You shouldn’t call yourself that. It isn’t true.”

“Her brother?” 

Dirk gave him a deadpanned look. “No, Mr. Comedian. A prick. You aren’t. Or, at least, you aren’t any more. You’re a good person.”

“Well, let’s just say that the past isn’t all that easily left in behind.” 

Todd wasn’t sure if he was imagining things but he thought that Dirk was beginning to flush red, starting from the nape of his neck and travelling up his face to his cheeks. “Actually Todd, I think you’re really quite great.”

While a small admission, something in the way that Dirk said it made him surprised. It was as if he was divulging a real secret to him. And although it made him uncomfortable in a strange way to admit it, the flush on the man’s face, the way he had said it so shyly and the closeness of the moment had spread a warmth throughout him that he had almost forgotten he could feel. Sometimes he felt like Dirk, even in his ignorance of the world and its workings, knew a lot more about people than he let on. He had so consistently been able to push people’s buttons that it was the only explanation that made sense. 

Todd felt his face heat up, no doubt the beginnings of a blush winding its way over his ears and up his own cheeks. He cleared his throat, standing up suddenly and scratching his arm. 

“Well I guess we had better get going if we’re going to make it to the town at a decent hour.”

Dirk beamed, his enthusiasm for the case overpowering any other feeling he had been nursing, “Of course! The case must be looked into it. Did I mention how it felt?”

“Yep.”

“Well there I was, in the parking lot of a Denny’s when a page of the newspaper snagged on a branch. I picked it up of course and instantly knew that this was the universe telling me something. So I rushed immediately to the store and grabbed a fresh paper, read it back-to-back and made up my mind that we simply had to go and investigate this one.”

Todd smiled, grabbing his things from his desk as his mind travelled to the onerous task of packing. Dirk’s voice bubbled along in the background as he speculated on all the fantastic and mysterious things they would soon uncover. 

Actually Todd, I think you’re really quite great.

He afforded himself one last indulgent smile at the memory of his words, before grabbing his keys and following the man out.


End file.
